


Brothers

by The3rdTrumpeteer



Series: Refuge and Remedies [2]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, crutchie has a nightmare, crutchie needs a hug, jack is a good big brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-24 20:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14363025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The3rdTrumpeteer/pseuds/The3rdTrumpeteer
Summary: The night after Crutchie is released from the Refuge, he has a nightmare. But unlike when he was actually there, this time he has Jack to help him through it.





	Brothers

_Crutchie is sprawled on the dirty floor, breathing hard. Tears stream down his face and sting the open cuts on his bruised cheeks. His entire body aches, and his leg throbs, and there is no relief from the pain, no one there to tell him that it will be okay._

_There are no friends in the Refuge._

_Snyder appears in his field of vision, grabs Crutchie by his hair and hauls him onto his knees, and Crutchie cries out._

_“You can make this easier on yourself, boy,” Snyder growls. “Just tell me what I want to know.”  
_

_Crutchie just shakes his head. He doesn’t know anything, not that Snyder believes him, and even if he did, he wouldn’t tell that slimy son of a bitch anything that could get his friends hurt._

_Snyder shakes Crutchie so hard he can feel his cracked ribs shift painfully, and he groans. Asks another question, but Crutchie’s ears are ringing so loudly he can’t hear it. His silence earns him a slap to the face. It hurts._

_“You’re as stubborn as Kelly. Not a good habit, you know.”  
_

_At the mention of Jack’s name, Crutchie’s heart aches. He just wants to see his brother again. He wants Jack to get him out of this place._

_But he knows Jack isn’t coming. He didn’t help him during the brawl, didn’t save him from getting arrested. Why would he save him now?_

_Snyder leans down to Crutchie’s level, grabs his arm, whispers in his ear._

_“I’ll break you, boy. You’re never leaving this place if I have anything to say about it.”  
_

_Then he stands up, releases Crutchie, who barely catches himself, and nods to a guard that has been standing in the corner of the room._

_“Have fun.”  
_

_The guard’s eyes glint maliciously as he stalks toward Crutchie. He grabs him by his bad leg and yanks-_

And Crutchie wakes up screaming. His eyes fly open to see Jack hovering over him, a horrified look on his face. He’s too close, and Crutchie flinches. Jack immediately looks apologetic and leans back.

“You was screamin’.”

“Where am I?” Crutchie’s still disoriented. He’s not on the rooftop.

“You’se in the lodgin’ house. In a bunk. You couldn’t make it to the roof. I was sleepin’ near ya…are you okay?”

Crutchie feels tears prick at his eyes and he fiercely wipes them away. 

“It’s nothin’. I…I had a bad dream.”

“It was about the Refuge, wasn’t it?” Jack’s voice is low, and he keeps his eyes on the floor even as he grabs for Crutchie’s hand. Crutchie holds it like a lifeline.

“…yeah, it was.”

“Crutchie…” Jack looks at him now, and Crutchie can see that his eyes, too, are full of tears. “I..I’m so sorry. I shoulda saved you. I shoulda-”

“You couldn’t, Jack. They woulda got you, too.” Crutchie feels more tears, and this time he lets them fall, struggling to speak around the lump in his throat. “It’s a horrible place. You’se been there so many times…I barely made it a week.”

“But you made it.” Jack’s eyes harden. “You’se the strongest person I know, Crutchie. I woulda given up if you hadn’t wrote me that letter. You’se the reason I stayed.”

Crutchie is stunned. He didn’t think he had that much of an impact…he hadn’t even been sure Jack would get his letter. But hearing that he’s the reason Jack is still here in New York instead of running away to Santa Fe…

He suddenly leans forward and wraps his arms around Jack in a desperate hug, which Jack immediately reciprocates.

“Love ya, Jack.”

“Love ya, little brother.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr: http://poorguysheadisdoingwhatnow.tumblr.com


End file.
